Popcorn & Pookie
by Selbyzipper
Summary: After a run to a movie theater Daryl teaches Carol how to pop popcorn over an open fire and which leads him to finally voice his non-platonic feeling toward her. All Fluff. Currently smut free, though I'd like to consider this pre-smut.


A/N: So, this has been bouncing around in my head for a while, and I finally wrote it all out today because I am celebrating 70 followers on Tumblr. 70 ain't so bad for 4 months! For those non-Tumblr peeps, I write little fluffy ficlettes when I hit follower mile stones. They are one shots, and always Caryl. This one got bit long for a ficlette, and you smut readers might hate me a bit because I didn't exactly get there…(I could probably be easily persuaded to write more) But here is anyway.

And FYI, If it isn't already completely obvious, I own nothing relating to TWD.

**Popcorn & Pookie**

"Did you seriously raid a movie theater?" Carol grinned going through the boxes of snack foods as they came off the back of the truck.

"Glenn's idea. He was thinking about the candy, but that place has a huge payout." Daryl pushed another box toward her. "Let me get that one, it has the butter oil, shit weighs a ton."

"Butter oil?" Carol's eyebrow quirked in question.

"Yeah, for the popcorn."

"Popcorn?"

"Yeah, how would we go to a theater and not clear out all that shit?" Daryl jumped off the back of the truck and moved the heavy box into the storage area.

"This might sound dumb, but how are we going to pop it?"

"The popcorn?"

"No, the Snow Caps."

"You ain't ever popped it on a camp fire? I'll show you." Daryl turned and dug around in the boxes they had been unloading pulling out an industrial sized box of aluminum foil. He sat on the ground, opened the foil, yanked a piece out about the length of his arm, folded it up, then looked to Carol. "Bring me a handful of the corn."

She popped the top on a box of loose popcorn on the back of the truck and reached in a took a handful out.  
"This good?" she brought them to Daryl.

"Uh… get another one, you have tiny hands."

She laughed and went back to the box. Daryl pulled a jug of yellow oil out of the box next to him, resting it in his lap to drip a little into the pouch he had made. Once Carol returned with a second hand of corn he closed it up and presented the small foil package to her.

"Now, just hang this above the fire, and you've got popcorn. Add a little salt when its done."

"Daryl, this is wonderful. Who taught you this? Was is Merle?" she smiled brightly.

"Yeah, when we were kids. I loved it, you know, before I leaned to hunt. It gave me something to do when we camped out. Made me feel useful or something." Daryl explained.

"We should make some more and surprise everyone after dinner." Carol prodded.

"Yeah, Ok, but uh… don't tell Glenn." Daryl mumbled.

"You don't want anyone to know you can be sweet? I hate to burst your bubble Pookie, but we all know you're a softy deep down."

"Pookie?"

"Because you're such a softy. You'll just have to deal with all the cutesy nicknames. Muffin. Darling. Sweetie-Pie." Carol's cheeks turned pink as she tried to not laugh.

"Carol…" he growled.

"All right… Not a soul will know you, the hard ass hunter protector man, will be helping me make popcorn pod things for everyone." She openly grinned at him.

That evening there were three camp fires roaring with pop corn pods strung up on wire across them. Groups of people, the former residents of Woodbury, the few random stragglers and the original prison group sat around conversing and enjoying the spoils from the theater run.

"Glenn, the popcorn was a great call man" Tyreese grinned stuffing a fist full of fresh warm popcorn in his mouth. "Normal some how." trying to talk around the full mouth.

"Close your mouth, Nasty." Sasha bopped him on the back of the head before stealing a handful from his pod.

"Hey! Get your own!" Ty pulled the pod away from his sister.

"Thanks, uh, though I had no idea how to pop it without a microwave, that was all Carol." Glenn quickly passed the praise on.

"I had help with that too." Carol admitted as she delicately took a single piece of popcorn to her mouth and darted her tongue out to steal it from her fingers .

"Who showed you?" Glenn asked.

"Daryl. But he only showed me one, then he made me make the rest." Carol grinned at Daryl and slowly ate another single piece of popcorn.

Daryl was having a hard time paying attention to the conversation around him because he couldn't seem to keep his mind anywhere but watching Carol nonchalantly eat popcorn one single piece at a time. Each time her tongue came out to take the piece from her fingers his brain stopped functioning for a moment. 'What the hell was she up to? Does she even know what she is doing?' He thought to himself. Daryl began going back and forth between Carol and her strangely seductive way of consuming her popcorn and the rest of the group around the fire.

Tyreese and Sasha were laughing and joking about something, Beth was breaking the soft parts of the popcorn into a bowl for Judith, Carl and Patrick were playing tic-tac-toe in the dirt, Rick was openly staring at Carol and Glenn and Maggie were looking at him expectantly.

"What?" Daryl asked them while turning his head back to glare at Rick.

"I said that was an ass hole move man, making Carol do all the work." Glenn laughed.

"What? I didn't…" he started getting flustered.

"He had things to do. Don't be mean Glenn." Carol smiled at Daryl. He groaned as she ate another piece of popcorn.

"Whatever. I would have helped you, that's all I'm saying." Glenn said.

"Well, good job Carol." Rick chimed in.

"Yeah." Daryl agreed, still glaring at Rick, whose eyes had yet to move off of Carol.

"Thanks." she turned her head down at the complement.

"Carol, Can I…" Rick started.

"Hey, I need to talk to ya." Daryl jumped up and crossed to her holding his hand out to help her up.

"Ok. Rick, were you saying something?" Carol asked as she took Daryl's hand.

"No, no, It can wait." Rick glanced at Daryl and gave him a knowing grin.

Daryl grunted and pulled her after him toward the prison. He stopped just a few feet off from the door, far enough away from the fires that no one could hear or see them. He turned fully to her and let his arm drop with out letting her hand go. "What the hell was that display back there?" his voice coming out almost angry sounding.

"What?" Carol asked genuinely confused.

"With the popcorn. What was that?"

"Daryl, I have no idea what you are talking about. I didn't do anything." her voice got smaller.

He realized that his tone was scaring her, though apparently not enough to fight the grasp of his hand. "I just… It was…" He started and stopped a few times before making up his mind, " Oh hell." He pulled gently on her hand until she took a step closer. He leaned his head down and kissed her. First gently, then as the kiss continued he took dominance pushing his tongue against her lips, waiting for her to open to him. When she allowed him entrance he slid his free hand across her hip and pulled her flush against him. He took their joined hands and placed her hand on his side before letting go and moving to hold the side of her face, gently brushing his thumb back and forth over her cheek. Their tongues battled as he held her against his body, his desire becoming more evident with each passing moment.

She enjoyed the feel of him for a moment before putting her free hand on his chest and pushing him back a little. They broke apart gasping for air, most of their bodies still entwined, a hairs breath between them. "What is happening here Daryl?" she asked softly, her face flushed in the moonlight.

"Making my intentions known?" He said with a questioning tone.

"But why now? Not that I mind at all, but why?" she bit her bottom lip and lowered her hand to rest at his pant line.

He moved to give her a short kiss, "The popcorn." He pressed against her again and began to trail slow kisses up her neck, stopping for a moment just under her earlobe before taking it into his mouth and scraping his teeth against it.

She moaned and pushed him again. "The popcorn?"

"Yeah, The way you were eatin' it. Hottest thing I've seen in a while."

"What?" She giggled and began to run her finger tip along the skin at the waistband of his jeans.

He groaned and leaned into her further, "That tongue was taunting me…" he gently nipped at her bottom lip.

"Want to go inside? Everyone's out here… I put one of my first popped popcorn pods in my cell, it was a little burnt… Maybe, you could explain what I was doing better?" she ran her hand fully under his shirt up his chest and scratched softly in the small amount of hair she found.

He backed fully away from her, and for a second she thought she may have upset him, but he grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the building without a glance back to the campfires. She giggled and happily followed him, ready to see how far this was going to go.

**Reviews light the fire to write more... **


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